


600 Years

by RedKitsune



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Loki doesn't die instantly, Lost Love, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Reunions, accepting death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-25
Updated: 2019-10-25
Packaged: 2021-01-03 02:30:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21171956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedKitsune/pseuds/RedKitsune
Summary: Thor was picked up by a passing ship however the rescuers assumed everyone else was dead. Loki floated, clinging to life in the void of space. A better time to think over his greatest regrets and remember the warm smile of the woman he had cared for 600 years ago? It is with her memory he intends to comfort himself as he waits for death. Turns out, death had a scheduling conflict.





	600 Years

**Author's Note:**

> Loki x ofc, Rating: Mature 
> 
> warnings: aftermath of extreme violence
> 
> This one shot picks up right after Loki’s end in Infinity War.

When one’s neck is broken and their bodily systems barely functioning, there is little else to do but think while one waits for death. He couldn’t close his eyes, it seemed his whole body was paralyzed. It made sense, he could remember the sound his neck had made when it snapped. Time seemed endless, no different than the vast nothing around him. With so much nothing, he had nothing to do but think while he waited for death to take him.

He didn’t want to think of the pain he’d suffered in the last ten years. It wasn't worth the heartache to think of the betrayal of the man he thought of as his father. It wouldn't do to dwell on how unfair it was that he should die only now, when he was beginning to rebuild a relationship with his brother.

He didn’t want to think of the horrors he had seen. Not in what he expected would be his final moments. Instead, he turned his mind back through the years and settled on one of the few truly happy memories he had. By the gods, he could still see her face as clearly as if it were yesterday.

~~~~~<3

“Come, Loki.” She ran, fingers wrapped around his hand.

Her red hair was a mess of waves, tied back with a green ribbon he had gifted her a few days prior. Odin would surely chastise him for letting a human drag him about by his hand but Loki couldn’t find it in himself to care in the moment. Her green eyes sparkled as she ran along. He could overtake her, out run her with hardly any effort but he allowed himself to be dragged along just the same.

She had something she wished to show him. It was likely mundane but he couldn’t managed to be annoyed with her. Aileen was something unique, even among her people. While Thor, Loki and Odin were worshiped as Gods by these people, Aileen was different. Her devotion was to Loki alone and maybe that was why he was so forgiving of her eagerness to waste his time.

Loki wasn’t an idiot. Far from it, even so long ago. If he could smile, floating in the void of space while his mind was in the distant past, he would have. Even then, Loki had known he was telling himself lies.

She had dragged him to a field of wild flowers. The deep green of the grass stretched out in front of them as the trees gave way. The sky was a bright blue and the sun was shining down on the field. Blue flowers of all shades dotted the ground. Some were small, others rather large. The field went on until the cliff face dropped, giving way to peaceful rolling ocean.

It was beautiful, even Loki could admit it but there was something far more beautiful in the field.

She had been brought to his attention almost ten years ago, dancing on the line of a woman and a child at the time. She was the only of her village to declare herself to Loki and only Loki. She didn’t bow to Thor, nor to Odin or even Frigga. She bowed to him alone, though she faced ridicule for it.

Loki had always showed her favor whenever Odin would bring them to Midgard and that was fairly often at the moment. For whatever reason, their father was going through a benevolent period in regards to the youngest of his subject realms. Once Loki had her, he found himself minding these trips less and less.

“It’s a field.” His voice was lost in the wind, yet the way she smiled at him left no doubt that she had heard him.

“It’s been blessed.” Her voice was soft, far softer than any flower’s petal.

“Not by I.” She pulled him out, fingers still wrapped around his hand.

“Not by any god.” She laughed.

Even now, floating in that cold void, waiting for his brain to shut down, his heart to beat the last time, he could hear her laugh. It was more akin to the sound of bells tinkling than the hearty laugh of many of the women in her village.

“Than how has it been blessed?” He asked. They were at the center of the field now and finally she let go of his hand. He watched as she spun and danced in a sea of flowers.

“By the sun.” She held her hand above her. The long, flowing sleeve of her dark green dress fell to expose her slender pale arm. She then cast her arm out, waving at the ocean waters beyond the cliff. “By the great sea.”

“Those are but the natural forces of the world.” Loki was well aware she knew better.

“And yet, are we not a blessed people to have them?” She smiled and he shook his head. He wouldn’t say it, but he knew it was she her people were blessed to have.

He wondered what had ever become of her. For a few short years, they had visited Midgard every few months. Than it became every few years. He had watched as she grew from a girl at the cusp of womanhood and into a young woman any man would have been lucky to have.

Had she married? The last time he had seen her, she hadn’t yet though she was well of age. He’d only gotten to see her a handful of times after she had shown him the field of flowers.

Once he had told her he’d loved her. She had said she loved him and he had known it was more than the way the rest of the villagers loved the Gods. She had loved him in the way a woman loved a man. And he, her. He’d sworn that he would go to Asgard, speak to his father and they would be together. She would be his High Priestess and he, her God. She would be his wife and he, her husband.

But war came to Asgard. A few days had become weeks and months before he even noticed. Human lives were fleeting and he had spent what would amount to years of her life on the battle field offering strategic aid that more often than not was ignored.

When he next found himself standing in the field of blue flowers, she was surely bouncing grandchildren on her knee. Or at least, Loki had hoped. Now, floating and waiting for death to take him, Loki found himself wishing he had been strong enough to make sure she had at least had a good life.

Black consumed his vision or perhaps it was simply that he had shifted in the void and no longer could see any distant stars. It didn’t matter. He’d had a long life. A hard life and maybe he was ready for it to be over.

~~~~~<3

He was aware of warmth before any other senses came to him. It confused him but it could be that what came after death was warmth. There was no way to know how long he was aware of only warmth but he paid time no mind. Time didn’t really matter anymore.

Sometime later, how long he couldn’t even begin to say, he became aware of sound. First it was a slight breeze running through the space, though he could not feel it. Than it was a voice, familiar and yet he couldn’t place it. It didn’t feel important enough to place, in the moment as it hummed a sweet song. The sound was hardly there, as if carried on a fleeting breeze and gone the next moment.

He became aware of the weight of a blanket over his form, a soft mattress under him and a too fluffy pillow propping his head. He realized he was in fact somehow alive. The aches in his body had returned but they felt dull and far away though he still couldn't open his eyes or twitch a finger. Sometimes, coppery liquid would drip into his mouth, cool and wet.

He was beyond weak still and spent much of his time unaware and asleep. When he was swimming so close to consciousness, he would wonder how long he had been where ever he was. It felt safe. Surely, Thanos wouldn’t give him a soft bed and nurse him to health after breaking his neck.

Eventually, there was a lucidity when he woke that was a stark contrast to what had been. There was light and dark that he could pick up even through his closed eyelids. It felt like it took all the strength he had to crack open his eyelids.

The room was sparsely furnished and that was putting it rather kindly. A groan slipped out of him as he pushed himself up. Casting his eyes around, he found that rather than just a room, he found himself in what appeared to be a two room hut. There was a lamp in the corner with one dim bulb casting light into the space.

Through a door standing open was a bathroom though he hesitated to call it as such. From where he propped himself up on the bed, it looked to hardly have enough room to serve its most basic purpose. There was a two burner stove that looked to run off gas. A small chill box was next to a thin counter and a sink with a board balanced across.

The space was small and cramped- just hardly big enough for one person to live in though in most cases he would hesitate to call it living. A chair was piled high with clothes and assorted personal items. Except for that and the bed he was on, there wasn’t anywhere else to sit.

The bookshelf next to him offered no clues about who had been caring for him. The writing on the books told him he was likely in Midgard, though how he had ended up there was a mystery. Hell, he didn’t even know how he could be alive yet somehow here he appeared to be.

His limbs felt like they had weights attached as he dragged himself and swung his feet to the ground. The soft fabric of loose pants clung to his legs. The ground wasn’t offensively cold as his feet touched the worn wood floor.

A breeze pushed the airy curtains through a window with no glass, caressing his exposed chest. The breeze was clean and fresh, something he missed when in many places through Midgard. He could feel how badly his hair needed a wash and would give anything to bathe but first- he needed to find answers.

When he stood, black swam through his vision for a moment and he was sure he was going to hit the bed again. When it receded, he made his way through the small room, inching toward the door. Everything hurt. Every muscle ached.

Stepping outside, he found a field of dark green grass that stretched to the drop of a cliff that looked achingly familiar. Above him, clouds moved lazily by in black masses against the velvet blue night sky. The moon was full between the clouds, casting her cold light on the world below.

Blue flowers dotted the ground on either side of the worn path he was dragging himself along. The coastline felt so much closer than it should have been. His heart pounded in his chest as he told himself he couldn’t be here. Anywhere but this cliff.

For so long he had avoided this place, though he wouldn’t have admitted it to anyone. Perhaps it was another cliff, somewhere similar.

He almost didn’t see the woman standing at the cliff. Though he regretted to admit it, his attention was far more focused on taking in the surroundings. She was standing so still that she was easy to miss.

But when the coastal wind blew, loose waves of red hair floated to the side. The skirt of her dress, a green that almost matched the grass she stood on, danced above her knees. One slender arm reached up, pulled the waves from in front of her face and tucked it behind her shoulder and ear. He could see nails painted dark and a ribbon tied around her wrist with a neat bow.

“Who are you?” He called out and when she didn’t answer he added, “Where am I?”

“You’re awake.” She finally answered without turning to face him as he drew closer still. The sound of her voice made ice run through his veins only to be replaced by a rage fueled fire an instant later. “I’d worried that you’d not wake at all.”

“Face me.” He ordered and she did but he didn't believe what he saw. “Show your true face, witch.”

“I’m no witch though that would indeed be useful.” She mused, eyeing him. “Relax, won’t you? You’re so very weak still.”

“Who are you?” She stepped closer, unafraid even as a dagger shimmered into existence. He’d not show it, but the small magic alone left him feeling drained.

“Who do you believe me to be?”

“She’s dead, has been for centuries.”

“Have I been?” She asked, cocking her head to the side only to have the wind shift and blow more strands of red across her face, destroying the moment of elegance. He couldn’t begin to explain it but she appeared wholly unconcerned with his dagger. Instead, she looked around her and smiled. “This field has been blessed. Not by you, my God but by the Sun and the Sea. Most importantly, it has been blessed by me.”

“Aileen.” The name slipped from his lips without his consent. There were beings who could do terrible things with a name alone. “Who told you that?”

“I told you that.” She walked up to him, unafraid. “You fell from the sky and landed in the ocean not far from here. It was simple curiosity that drew me out to see what caused the splash and I’m beyond thankful that I did. You’ve been asleep for almost three weeks.”

“How am I still alive?” He didn’t expect her to have am answer, truly.

“I do not know how you survived getting here or from where you came. I wasn’t sure you’d survive the first few days, then I feared you wouldn’t wake at all.” She admitted and Loki wondered how it was possible that she was there. “I’d never thought I would see you again, after centuries. Then you where there, in New York and gone again. I’m sure once you’re healed, you’ll be gone once again.”

“How-”

“How am I still alive?” She finished when the words seemed to catch in his throat. “It doesn’t matter right now. You should be resting more, you’re still weak.”

He didn’t want to admit that she was right. Still, when her delicate hand wrapped around his arm, he allowed her to lead him back inside the small hut. His mind was far too busy trying to piece together what was happening and what it meant. This couldn't be real.

“Your hands are cold.”

“As is your arm.” She said as they crossed the threshold. “You’ve always been colder than most.”

“But you were not.”

She sighed and admitted, “You’re right. I am different now. I have been for a very long time.”

“Tell me, how is it possible that you look the same now as you did 600 years ago?” Loki again pressed as he sat heavily on the bed.

“Thanks, I’ve got a great skincare routine.” She laughed at her own joke before understanding that he wasn’t going to let it go. “Shortly after you left, our village was attacked by beasts of the night. They would come and steal the lifeblood from their prey, night after night. Our numbers dwindled as others fled.” She sat on the bed next to him, picking at her fingers.

“I remained, even as my father abandoned me. You had said you would return for me and I couldn’t bring myself to leave. One night, the beast came for me. I prayed as he sank his teeth into me. I prayed to my god to give me strength and rolled the man beast off of me. He landed in the fireplace and my life was spared.”

“And how are you still alive now?” Loki pressed. “What does that have to do with now?”

“I was the only one to survive the beast’s attacks. I thought that was the end of it, and for a while it seemed to be. But then, I began to change and became the monster that had driven my friends and family from our home. I wasn’t always able to retain my sanity and at times I was no better than the beast who attacked me. Years ticked by and I waited for you. Soon, centuries passed and I remained standing in place as time moved on without me.”

“What medicine had you given me?” Loki watched as she tensed up.

“It’s unimportant. It healed you. I couldn’t stomach the thought of watching you die.”

“I assumed you’d grown old and died.” Loki admitted. It pained him to think that she had suffered this condition he only was now learning of for so long alone.

“Why did you not come back? Had you changed your mind?” She asked before shaking her head. “It doesn’t matter, forget I asked.”

“Asgard went to war for nearly a century. When I was able to return- I assumed it was too late.” She nodded at his words.

“You should rest. There is food should you hunger. I must leave for now but I’ll return by morning.”

“Why?” Loki felt weariness pull him down. He didn’t want to sleep now but his energy was draining. There was an ache in his neck that went deep down to the bone and the longer he sat, the harder holding his head up became.

“To feed.” She answered as she stood.

“I don’t understand. You said there was food here?” With a firm hand she guided Loki back on the bed as he spoke.

“You need not worry, all will be clear in time. The food here does nothing for me. I am a beast now.”

Once he settled on the bed, she spread the blanket over him. With another urge to get rest, she turned and pulled the shutters closed on the window before stepping out into the night. Part of Loki wondered if he should be gone before she returned but sleep claimed him again before he could give it much thought.


End file.
